Dental forceps



(No Model.)

' A. WHITLOGK; DENTAL FORGEPS.

' Patented Feb. 14, 1893,

TNE mums PETERS co; PHOTO-Lame" wAsguuuYon, D a

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIc ALMA WVHITLOCK, OF SAN BERNARDINO, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES E. BLAKE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

DENTAL FORCEPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 491,932, dated February 14, 1893.

Application filed August 2, 1892. Serial No. 441,986. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALMA WHITLOOK, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Bernardino, in the county of San Bernardino and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDental Forceps, of which the following isaspecification.

My invention relates to an improved extracting-forceps having beaks of peculiar construction, as hereinafter explained, by which firm hold is obtained upon the tooth, or a root either above or below the gums, and, particularly, upon the sides of the tooth-substance; the operation of the beaks in this respect being entirely different from those instruments heretofore made which grasp the toothor root only on the front and back, or the labial and buccal sides.

The nature of my invention consists in constructing each beak with two prongs having a suitable degree of divergence at the points to grasp and embrace the side of the tooth or root upon which it is placed, as hereinafter fully described, whereby a firm and more certain hold can be obtained with less danger of crushing than in those instruments that simplygrip the tooth or root on the front and back faces, or are specially shaped to enter below the gum between the bifurcations of the root.

I proceed to carry out my said improvement and produce an instrument for general or universal use for extracting different forms of teeth substantially as herein described and illustrated; the accompanying drawings being referred to by letters.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved forceps, and Fig. 2 shows the instrument with longer beaks and Fig. 3 shows the instrument with beaks of greater curvature.

This form or style of forceps represented in the drawings is specially designed for extracting molars and teeth that are located on the sides of the jaws, and the beaks of the instrument have considerable degree of curvature to reach and embrace the tooth; I do not confine my improvement, however, to any particular shape or curvature of beak, as the peculiar construction of the points, in which lies my improvement, can be applied to any of the different shapes and styles of instruments used by the profession.

A A are the beaks, B, the joint and C C, the handles of the forceps. The end of each beak is divided to produce two prongs a a", and the points of these prongs are bent inwardly or toward the opposite beak with greater or less degree or curvature, and are also spread apart from the beginning of the bifurcation with equal divergence. The beaks, thus constructed form four prongs, the points of which are in contact, or nearly so, when the instrument is closed. As thus form ed and arranged these bifurcated ends of the forceps when placed on a tooth above the gum, or in case of a root, or a badly-decayed tooth, below the gum, take the position illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the prongs of one beak grasping and embracing the tooth-substance, or the root, on the front or labial side, and those of the other beak tak ing the inner or buccal side ofthe tooth. By virture of this position the prongs a a take in and firmly grip one side of the tooth while the prongs a a in the same manner take the opposite side. The form of the prongs enables them to be inserted easily under or below the gums, and in cases where the gum is grasped by the instrument, as frequently 8o happens, the sharp-pointed ends of my improved forceps do not seize any such portion of the gum as the old styles of instruments, so that in this point there is much less tension and pain attending the use of my for- ALMA WHITLOOK. [n s.]

Witnesses: JAMES H. BOYD,

OAssIUs P. TOURTELLOTTE. 

